Mets catcher Tomás Nido takes a break for some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: You go way back in Puerto Rico with Francisco Lindor. Is he the same guy now as he was as a kid?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Give me a fun or funny story about him.
A: He didn’t know much English back at the time. We had gone to Halloween Horror Night. The people will come out and scare you. This one time, he was very quiet, didn’t say much, and the group we were with, all of a sudden they scare us, everybody starts running, and you see him screaming in English, and he’s like, “My shoe, my shoe!” It was so funny ‘cause he didn’t speak much English at the time but the fact that he had come out of nowhere speaking English yelling that his shoe … somebody must have stepped on it, he started running and the shoe stayed back. … Everybody was, “Where did this come from?”
Q: Could you tell back then he was going to be a special talent?
A: When I played against him before we even knew each other, you saw him playing, you’re like, “Wow this kid is … it’s unbelievable.” He would get on the mound, he would pitch. You could tell he was special.
Q: Did the pressure of living up to the contract affect Lindor?
A: I’ll tell you this, two months from now or whenever, we’re gonna look back at this like it never happened. He’s a pro, he’s done it his whole life, I’ve seen him struggle before, and I don’t think a single guy in this clubhouse is concerned in any way, shape or form about him. The guy can win ballgames even if he’s not hitting. The hitting will come, there’s no doubt about that, nobody’s worried about that.
Q: With all the injuries, what intangible has enabled this team to stay afloat?
A: You walk into our clubhouse, and every single guy, even the guys that are injured, it’s still a family, still everybody with their head up, nobody’s hanging their head low. Everybody’s picking each other up, understanding the situation and knowing that we can’t all try to be heroes, we just have to play our part, and to finish the puzzle everybody puts their piece in and we’ll come together. And once everybody comes back, it’s gonna be a good run.
Q: What drives you?
A: I want to be the best Tomas Nido I could be. I want to get the best out of me on a daily basis. Winning ultimately drives the bus, so for me, I want to win, I want to compete. It’s a lot of fun to be in a big league stadium on a big league field against the best players in the world.
Q: How difficult physically and emotionally was your battle with COVID-19 (last August)?
A: Everybody had their own assumption or idea of how bad it could be, so when I first told my family, they were scared. I was trying to take it one day at a time, and once the symptoms kinda calmed down a few days after, it was more about staying healthy and kind of recovering, making sure health-wise I was getting back on track and ultimately getting back to normal.
Q: What symptoms did you have, and was it scary for you?
A: When I first started feeling it, I was kinda panicking a little bit. … I started dealing with symptoms that night, it was really bad, and the cough, the headache; the headache lasted for like eight days, really bad cough. First night it was really tough, I couldn’t sleep, the body aches, very sore. … I felt like I had caught two nine-inning games the same day. I remember trying to get out of the bed, and I’m like, “Wow, I feel like I just got hit by a truck.”
Q: What about your wife (Danielle) and (7-month-old) daughter (Eleni)?
A: My wife was pregnant at the time, and she had just flown back to New York, so we weren’t together, I was in Miami when I got it. I wasn’t in a very nice hotel, I was stuck in one of those airport hotels. It was pretty small. It wasn’t very enjoyable. I was there for 10 days, and the worst part of it all since I wasn’t allowed to fly, they put me on a bus from Miami to New York, an economy bus, and we drove from Miami to New York, straight shot. … It was basically a school bus. That was brutal (chuckle).
Q: After all your years in the minors, what kept you believing, what kept you going? Did you ever think about quitting?
A: I never thought about quitting. I always told my wife if by 25 I wasn’t in Double-A, I would obviously rethink what I wanted to do. At 23 I got to the big leagues. It happened a little quicker than I expected. It took me a little longer to get things going and kinda get my feet on the ground, but it all worked out.
Q: Your thoughts on Steve Cohen?
A: I saw him in spring training one time, said hello. But it’s awesome to have somebody whose a lifelong fan before obviously owning the team. I think it’s really good for us.
Q: Do you like that he’s on Twitter?
A: The fan interaction, that’s awesome. The fans always want to know what’s going on, so it’s cool.
Q: If you could hit against any pitcher in MLB history?
A: I think it would be cool to have faced Randy Johnson, lefty throwing hard. I like hitting lefties. Mariano Rivera, that cutter — I mean, I don’t know if I wanted to face him, but I think it would have been cool to say that I did.
Q: If you could pick the brain of any catcher in MLB history?
A: I’ve had the chance to sit with Yadier Molina and pick his brain in 2015, and that was one of my favorite players growing up and I’ve gotten to play against him now. For me, it was like Christmas, like a little kid, and it was a lot of fun.
Q: If you could catch any pitcher in MLB history?
A: Tom Seaver … Nolan Ryan … there’s so many. Randy Johnson … you look at videos, and it’s unbelievable.
Q: Does Jacob deGrom remind you of Tom Seaver?
A: I think they’re different in their own things, but every time he pitched all eyes are on him, and it’s a different level.
Q: What makes Jacob deGrom, Jacob deGrom?
A: His desire to compete. He wants to beat you in any way he can, and if he spots a weakness, he wants to beat you ’til there’s no more. Ultimately, he wants to embarrass you. That’s the kind of competition that you want to be out there with — that desire to win is just not enough. If there’s a way to beat somebody, we’re gonna find it.
Q: What makes Marcus Stroman, Marcus Stroman?
A: He’s so much fun out there, and his energy, his positivity day in, day out, his work ethic is unbelievable, I love what he says, he says never panic, just manage.
Q: Taijuan Walker?
A: There’s that ”it” factor that you see these guys have, and it’s a lot of fun.
Q: David Peterson?
A: All these guys are hungry. No matter what, he’s ready to compete. Even when he doesn’t have all his pitches, he battles.
Q: Edwin Diaz?
A: He knows what he’s capable of, and blocks the outside noise and works on his craft.
Q: A catcher has to be a psychologist in a way, right?
A: Yeah, I think (James) McCann and I both have a really good relationship with everybody here, and we stay locked in.
Q: Luis Rojas?
A: He’s a professional. He’s a player’s manager, he understands what we go through day in, day out. He’s a leader here, that’s why we’re so close together and it starts at the top. It wouldn’t be the way it is if it wasn’t for him.
Q: Kevin Pillar?
A: He’s been one of the biggest helps for me to mentally stay ready in whatever role, situation I’m in. He’s a leader on this team, and really brings up team energy.
Q: Your confidence at the plate now, on a scale of 1-10?
A: I wouldn’t say like before I didn’t have confidence. My confidence is always at a 10, because at the end of the day, you can’t go up there thinking that you’re less than anybody else or you’re already gonna be beaten down. So for me, I go out there thinking I’m the best, and I know what I’m capable of, and I trust myself and I believe in myself, so yeah, it’s a 10 for me.
Q: How much did your Lasik surgery before the 2019 season help you?
A: It made a big difference. Cleared everything up and I didn’t have to deal with contact lenses.
Q: Why is McCann able to handle first base?
A: Because catchers can do it all!
Q: What was your reaction when the Mets signed him?
A: I was actually very happy. From Day 1, heard nothing but great things, and they’re all true.
Q: Yoenis Cespedes?
A: When he was on the field he was unbelievable. He was a showstopper.
Q: What was it like playing golf with him?
A: He’s really good, unbelievable actually.
Q: How about you, are you any good?
A: I’m OK … not better than (Jeff) McNeil.
Q: Single best major league moment?
A: I guess I gotta go with the walk-off home run I hit at home.
Q: Single worst major league moment?
A: Honestly, being in the big leagues I don’t think there’s ever a bad moment, even in the darkest days, you’re still in the big leagues. Probably you’re living somebody’s dream.
Q: Worst minor league bus ride?
A: It was Low-A. It was either a seven- or 10-hour bus ride, and we left that night and we got there probably close to morning time. I remember vividly getting to the hotel and the sun coming up, and I’m like, “Are you kidding me? I gotta go take a nap now and then I’m going to the field.” And luckily, that day got rained out. The whole trip was bad because the next day we ended up playing a doubleheader, the first game we played in the rain and the second game we started very close to midnight.
Q: Were you able to sleep on the bus?
A: If I did, it was probably 30 minutes. It’s very hard for me to sleep on the bus.
Q: Your on-field mentality?
A: Just trusting all the preparation, and I just stay focused and have fun.
Q: Do you like playing in this market?
A: Absolutely. New York’s the best place to be at. Winning here’s the best. Obviously they expect us to be good and to win and it’s understandable.
Q: Athletes in other sports you admire?
A: I like to watch Tom Brady play, now Pat Mahomes … Steph Curry.
Q: How has fatherhood changed you?
A: It’s made me more accountable to my preparation, and just my drive, my hunger to obviously provide for my family and obviously give them the life I want to give them.
Q: Describe your daughter’s personality.
A: She’s very energetic. She’s always active, moving around, smiling, laughing. … They say that she’s got my personality. It’s gonna be trouble once she starts being able to walk.
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: My dad Tomás, who passed when I was young, my Uncle Enrique and my grandfather Enrique, who are both not with us.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Rice and beans with filet mignon, made by mother or my wife.
Q: Your message to Mets fans?
A: We want to win, everybody here is invested 100 percent, and everybody has the same goal at the end of the day — to get to the playoffs and the World Series. We just have to be realistic, that there’s gonna be up and downs, and be aware that everybody here on a daily basis is working towards being the best they could be.
